WO2020167903A1 - Écouteur biométrique de forme annulaire - Google Patents

Écouteur biométrique de forme annulaire Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2020167903A1
WO2020167903A1 PCT/US2020/017856 US2020017856W WO2020167903A1 WO 2020167903 A1 WO2020167903 A1 WO 2020167903A1 US 2020017856 W US2020017856 W US 2020017856W WO 2020167903 A1 WO2020167903 A1 WO 2020167903A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
housing
wearable device
optical
ear
optical detector
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2020/017856
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Steven Francis Leboeuf
Shawn M. Stephenson
Macintosh E. Perry
Original Assignee
Valencell, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Valencell, Inc. filed Critical Valencell, Inc.
Priority to US17/427,459 priority Critical patent/US11950039B2/en
Publication of WO2020167903A1 publication Critical patent/WO2020167903A1/fr

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R1/00—Details of transducers, loudspeakers or microphones
    • H04R1/10—Earpieces; Attachments therefor ; Earphones; Monophonic headphones
    • H04R1/1016—Earpieces of the intra-aural type
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/0002—Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/02—Detecting, measuring or recording pulse, heart rate, blood pressure or blood flow; Combined pulse/heart-rate/blood pressure determination; Evaluating a cardiovascular condition not otherwise provided for, e.g. using combinations of techniques provided for in this group with electrocardiography or electroauscultation; Heart catheters for measuring blood pressure
    • A61B5/0205—Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
    • A61B5/02055—Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/02—Detecting, measuring or recording pulse, heart rate, blood pressure or blood flow; Combined pulse/heart-rate/blood pressure determination; Evaluating a cardiovascular condition not otherwise provided for, e.g. using combinations of techniques provided for in this group with electrocardiography or electroauscultation; Heart catheters for measuring blood pressure
    • A61B5/024—Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate
    • A61B5/02416—Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation
    • A61B5/02427—Details of sensor
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/103—Detecting, measuring or recording devices for testing the shape, pattern, colour, size or movement of the body or parts thereof, for diagnostic purposes
    • A61B5/11—Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb
    • A61B5/1126—Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb using a particular sensing technique
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/68—Arrangements of detecting, measuring or recording means, e.g. sensors, in relation to patient
    • A61B5/6801—Arrangements of detecting, measuring or recording means, e.g. sensors, in relation to patient specially adapted to be attached to or worn on the body surface
    • A61B5/6813—Specially adapted to be attached to a specific body part
    • A61B5/6814—Head
    • A61B5/6815—Ear
    • A61B5/6817—Ear canal
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B10/00—Transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio-waves, e.g. infrared, visible or ultraviolet light, or employing corpuscular radiation, e.g. quantum communication
    • H04B10/11—Arrangements specific to free-space transmission, i.e. transmission through air or vacuum
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R1/00—Details of transducers, loudspeakers or microphones
    • H04R1/10—Earpieces; Attachments therefor ; Earphones; Monophonic headphones
    • H04R1/1025—Accumulators or arrangements for charging
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B2560/00—Constructional details of operational features of apparatus; Accessories for medical measuring apparatus
    • A61B2560/02—Operational features
    • A61B2560/0204—Operational features of power management
    • A61B2560/0214—Operational features of power management of power generation or supply
    • A61B2560/0219—Operational features of power management of power generation or supply of externally powered implanted units
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B2562/00—Details of sensors; Constructional details of sensor housings or probes; Accessories for sensors
    • A61B2562/16—Details of sensor housings or probes; Details of structural supports for sensors
    • A61B2562/164—Details of sensor housings or probes; Details of structural supports for sensors the sensor is mounted in or on a conformable substrate or carrier
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B2562/00—Details of sensors; Constructional details of sensor housings or probes; Accessories for sensors
    • A61B2562/22—Arrangements of medical sensors with cables or leads; Connectors or couplings specifically adapted for medical sensors
    • A61B2562/221—Arrangements of sensors with cables or leads, e.g. cable harnesses
    • A61B2562/223—Optical cables therefor
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/145—Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissue
    • A61B5/1455—Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissue using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
    • A61B5/14551—Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissue using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters for measuring blood gases
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R2420/00—Details of connection covered by H04R, not provided for in its groups
    • H04R2420/07—Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R2460/00—Details of hearing devices, i.e. of ear- or headphones covered by H04R1/10 or H04R5/033 but not provided for in any of their subgroups, or of hearing aids covered by H04R25/00 but not provided for in any of its subgroups
    • H04R2460/09—Non-occlusive ear tips, i.e. leaving the ear canal open, for both custom and non-custom tips

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to wearable devices, and more particularly to ear worn devices.
  • hearable devices Smart audio earpieces with sensors, often referred to as "hearable” devices are increasingly being adopted by consumers.
  • hearable devices are often being worn for longer periods of time than traditional audio headphones.
  • conventional hearable devices may be relatively bulky and uncomfortable, and in some cases painful, to wear for long periods of time.
  • conventional hearable devices may be inconvenient to keep on one’s person when not in use. As such, often times these hearable devices are not available for use when most desired.
  • a wearable device includes a ring-shaped housing having a central opening and defining an annular interior volume.
  • the housing is configured to be worn within an ear of a subject such that the subject's ear canal is exposed by the central opening.
  • the housing is formed from a conformable, resilient material that facilitates retention of the device in a user's ear in a comfortable manner.
  • the housing may include a stabilizer fin or member extending outwardly therefrom that is configured to engage a portion of the ear and help secure the housing within the ear in a comfortable manner.
  • one or more electrical components such as sensors, processors, and the like, can be housed within the stabilizer member.
  • the housing includes an outer annular cover and an inner annular cover that are secured together.
  • the outer and inner covers may be removably secured together so as to facilitate replacement of the outer cover, thereby allowing for adjusting the size and/or shape of an outer cover that best fits a user's ear.
  • the outer cover is formed from a conformable, resilient material.
  • the outer cover may include a portion configured to matingly engage with a portion of the inner cover to prevent relative rotation of the outer and inner covers, and referred to as a "clocking" feature.
  • At least one optical emitter and at least one optical detector are supported within the housing.
  • the housing includes at least one window through which light can be delivered from the at least one optical emitter to the ear, and through which light from the ear can be delivered to the at least one optical detector.
  • the at least one window is at least one transparent portion in the housing.
  • the at least one window is at least one opening in the housing.
  • the at least one window includes first and second windows, wherein the first window is configured to deliver light from the at least one optical emitter to the ear, and wherein the second window is configured to deliver light from the ear to the at least one optical detector.
  • the wearable device includes at least one speaker within the housing.
  • the housing may include one or more apertures through which sound from the at least one speaker can pass.
  • the at least one speaker may have an arcuate configuration to better fit within the annular interior volume of the housing.
  • a speaker may be positioned within the central opening of the housing via at least one support member extending radially inwardly from the housing.
  • the wearable device may also include various other electronic components.
  • the wearable device may include at least one processor, at least one power source, a wireless communication unit, a microphone, and at least one motion sensor that is configured to sense body motion of the subject wearing the device.
  • the at least one processor is in communication with the various electronic components within the device and may be configured to control operation thereof.
  • the at least one processor may be configured to control the at least one optical emitter to emit light, and to process signals containing physiological information produced by the at least one optical detector.
  • the at least one processor may be configured to control wireless communications via the wireless communication unit.
  • the various electronic components may be supported by a flexible printed circuit, hereinafter referred to as a "flex circuit", that can be shaped to conform within the annular interior volume of the housing.
  • the at least one optical emitter and the at least one optical detector include a first optical emitter, a first optical detector, a second optical emitter, and a second optical detector.
  • the first optical detector and the first optical emitter are in adjacent relationship at a first location within the housing with a first optical crosstalk barrier therebetween, and the second optical detector and the second optical emitter are in adjacent relationship at a second location within the housing with a second optical crosstalk barrier therebetween.
  • the first optical detector and the first optical emitter may be optically isolated from the second optical detector and the second optical emitter via at least one optical barrier.
  • light guiding material is provided within the housing that is in optical communication with the at least one optical emitter and the at least one window and that is configured to guide light from the at least one optical emitter to the at least one window.
  • light guiding material may be provided within the housing that is in optical communication with the at least one optical detector and the at least one window and that is configured to guide light from the at least one window to the at least one optical detector.
  • a power source for the wearable device may include at least one rechargeable battery, and at least one charging coil may be provided within the housing or as part of the housing to transfer electrical charge to the at least one rechargeable battery when the housing is within a predetermined range of an inductive charging coil.
  • the wearable device may include at least one magnet that is configured to magnetically secure the housing to another device, such as a mobile phone, in order to provide convenient storage and access.
  • the at least one magnet may be within the housing, a part of the housing, or located external to the housing.
  • Embodiments of the present invention provide very light-weight hearable devices that can be worn for extremely long periods of time without noteworthy discomfort and without significantly attenuating outside external sounds.
  • such devices can be easily stored within or on portable mobile devices such that they are readily available when needed.
  • Fig. 1 illustrates the anatomy of a human ear.
  • Fig. 2A is a perspective view of a wearable device according to some embodiments of the present invention.
  • Fig. 2B is an opposite perspective view of the wearable device of
  • Fig. 3 illustrates the wearable device of Figs. 2A-2B positioned within the ear of a person.
  • Figs. 4A and 4B illustrate respective inner and outer annular covers of a wearable device, according to some embodiments of the present invention.
  • Fig. 5A illustrates the inner and outer covers of Figs. 4A and 4B assembled together to form a housing.
  • Fig. 5B illustrates the wearable device of Figs. 2A and 2B with protruding light guides.
  • Fig. 6A is a perspective view of a flex circuit that can be located within a wearable device according to some embodiments of the present invention, and that supports various electronic components such as optical emitters and detectors, speakers, a battery, and inductive charging coil(s).
  • Fig. 6B illustrates the battery and inductive charging coil(s) of Fig. 6A separated from the flex circuit and the other electronic components for clarity.
  • Fig. 6C is a perspective view of the flex circuit of Fig. 6A with the battery, speakers and inductive charging coil removed for clarity.
  • Fig. 6D illustrates various electrical components supported by the flex circuit of Fig. 6A.
  • Fig. 6E is a schematic illustration of an arrangement of optical emitters and detectors and other electronic components on a flex circuit, as well as optical isolation barriers and optical crosstalk barriers, according to some embodiments of the present invention.
  • Fig. 6F is a schematic illustration of a side view of a wearable device according to some embodiments of the present invention that illustrates exemplary locations for inductive charging coils.
  • Fig. 6G is a schematic illustration of light guiding material that may be utilized within wearable devices according to some embodiments of the present invention.
  • Fig. 6H illustrates a flex circuit with a plurality of edge-emitting LEDs, according to some embodiments of the present invention.
  • Fig. 7 illustrates the flex circuit of Fig. 6A positioned within the housing of Fig. 5A.
  • the outer and inner covers are transparent for ease of viewing the flex circuit and the various electronic components located within the housing.
  • Fig. 8A is a side view of a wearable device according to some embodiments of the present invention with an opaque outer cover
  • Fig. 8B is a side view of a wearable device according to some embodiments of the present invention with a transparent outer cover.
  • Fig. 9A is a schematic illustration of a ring-shaped wearable device, such as the device of Fig. 7, positioned within an ear.
  • Fig. 9B is a schematic illustration of a ring-shaped wearable device having a stabilizer member, such as the device of Figs. 2A-2B, wherein the device is positioned within an ear and at least partially supported by the crux of the helix and by the support member contacting the antihelix.
  • Figs. 10A-10E are schematic illustrations of various, non-limiting shapes that "ringed-shaped" wearable devices according to embodiments of the present invention can have.
  • Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a ring-shaped wearable device according to another embodiment of the present invention, wherein a speaker is located external to the housing and positioned within the central opening of the housing via at least one support member.
  • Fig. 12 is a schematic illustration of a pair of ring-shaped wearable devices according to embodiments of the present invention and that are configured to be magnetically secured to the back of a mobile device, such as a smartphone.
  • the terms “comprise”, “comprising”, “comprises”, “include”, “including”, “includes”, “have”, “has”, “having”, or variants thereof are open-ended, and include one or more stated features, integers, elements, steps, components or functions but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, elements, steps, components, functions or groups thereof.
  • the common abbreviation “e.g.”, which derives from the Latin phrase “exempli gratia” may be used to introduce or specify a general example or examples of a previously mentioned item, and is not intended to be limiting of such item.
  • the common abbreviation “i.e.”, which derives from the Latin phrase “id est,” may be used to specify a particular item from a more general recitation.
  • phrases such as “between X and Y” and “between about X and Y” should be interpreted to include X and Y.
  • phrases such as “between about X and Y” mean “between about X and about Y.”
  • phrases such as “from about X to Y” mean “from about X to about Y.”
  • first and second are used herein to describe various features or elements, these features or elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one feature or element from another feature or element. Thus, a first feature or element discussed below could be termed a second feature or element, and similarly, a second feature or element discussed below could be termed a first feature or element without departing from the teachings of the present invention.
  • optical source and “optical emitter”, as used herein, are interchangeable.
  • monitoring refers to the act of measuring, quantifying, qualifying, estimating, sensing, calculating, interpolating, extrapolating, inferring, deducing, or any combination of these actions. More generally, “monitoring” refers to a way of getting information via one or more sensing elements.
  • blood health monitoring may include monitoring blood gas levels, blood hydration, and metabolite/electrolyte levels, etc.
  • physiological refers to matter or energy of or from the body of a creature (e.g., humans, animals, etc.).
  • the term “physiological” is intended to be used broadly, covering both physical and psychological matter and energy of or from the body of a creature.
  • the term “psychological” is called-out separately to emphasize aspects of physiology that are more closely tied to conscious or subconscious brain activity rather than the activity of other organs, tissues, or cells.
  • body refers to the body of a subject (human or animal) that may wear a device according to embodiments of the present invention.
  • Coupled refers to the interaction or communication between excitation energy entering a region of a body and the region itself.
  • one form of optical coupling may be the interaction between excitation light generated from an optical emitter and the blood vessels of the body of a user.
  • this interaction may involve excitation light entering the ear region and scattering from a blood vessel in the ear such that the intensity of scattered light is proportional to blood flow within the blood vessel.
  • processor is used broadly to refer to a signal processor or computing system or processing or computing method which may be localized or distributed.
  • a localized signal processor may comprise one or more signal processors or processing methods localized to a general location, such as to an earbud.
  • Examples of a distributed processor include "the cloud", the internet, a remote database, a remote processor computer, a plurality of remote processors or computers in communication with each other, or the like, or processing methods distributed amongst one or more of these elements.
  • a distributed processor may include delocalized elements, whereas a localized processor may work independently of a distributed processing system.
  • Microprocessors, microcontrollers, ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), analog processing circuitry, made-for Al (artificial intelligence or neural network) circuitry, and digital signal processors are a few non-limiting examples of physical signal processors that may be found in wearable devices.
  • remote does not necessarily mean that a remote device is a wireless device or that it is a long distance away from a device in
  • remote is intended to reference a device or system that is distinct from another device or system or that is not substantially reliant on another device or system for core functionality.
  • a computer wired to a wearable device may be considered a remote device, as the two devices are distinct and/or not substantially reliant on each other for core functionality.
  • any wireless device such as a portable device, for example
  • system such as a remote database for example
  • Figs. 2A-2B illustrate a wearable device 100 configured to be worn comfortably in the ear of a user for extended periods of time.
  • the wearable device 100 includes a "loop" or “ring-shaped" housing 102 having a central opening 102co and defining an annular interior volume 102v.
  • This outer covering 106 may be removably secured to the housing 102 so as to facilitate replacement of the outer covering 106, thereby allowing a user to adjust the size and/or shape of the outer covering 106 that best fits the user's ear.
  • the illustrated outer covering 106 includes a stabilizer fin or member 104 extending outwardly therefrom that is configured to engage a portion of the ear, such as the antihelix, as illustrated schematically in Fig. 9B.
  • the stabilizer member 104 helps secure the housing 102 within the ear in a comfortable manner.
  • the outer covering 106 is not required to have such a stabilizer member.
  • the housing 102 includes a protrusion 113 that is configured to matingly engage with a
  • the material of the outer covering 106 may be opaque (Fig. 8A), and in other embodiments, the material of the outer covering 106 may be transparent or partially transparent (Fig. 8B).
  • the ring-shaped device 100 is configured to be worn within an ear of a subject such that the subject's ear canal EC is exposed by the central opening 102co of the housing 102, as illustrated in Fig. 3. In other words, the device 100 does not obstruct access to the ear canal EC or hinder sound from entering the ear canal EC.
  • the shape of the device 100 is such that the device 100 is placed in the conchae of the ear with a portion thereof held comfortably in place, at least partially, by the tragus and antitragus, as illustrated schematically in Fig. 9A.
  • another portion of the device 100 may engage the antihelix of the ear, as illustrated in Fig. 9A, which further helps comfortably secure the device 100 within the ear.
  • the ring-shaped device 100 may have various configurations and need not be circular in configuration.
  • the term "ring-shaped" is intended to include any shape that allows the device 100 to be worn within an ear while also having a central opening 102co that exposes the ear canal EC and does not hinder sound passing through the opening 102co into the ear canal EC.
  • Figs. 10A-10E illustrate various nonlimiting structures that are ring-shaped in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
  • the illustrated device 100 has a substantially circular configuration. However, embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the illustrated shape of the device 100.
  • the device 100 may have various shapes and configurations.
  • Figs. 10A-10E schematically illustrate various nonlimiting shapes that the device 100 can have. Other shapes not illustrated are possible, also.
  • each of the illustrated devices 100 in Figs. 10A-10E could have one or more stabilizer members, such as the stabilizer member 104 illustrated in Figs. 2A-2B.
  • a housing 102 for a wearable device 100 includes an outer cover 110 (Fig. 4B) and an inner cover 120 (Fig. 4A).
  • the inner cover 120 has an annular wall 122 with opposite outer and inner surfaces 122a, 122b, and opposed first and second annular edges 124a, 124b.
  • the annular wall 122 has a concave configuration facing outwardly, as illustrated (i.e., the outer surface 122a is concave and the inner surface 122b is convex).
  • the outer cover 110 has an annular wall 112 with opposite outer and inner surfaces 112a, 112b, and opposed first and second annular edges 114a, 114b.
  • the annular wall 112 has a concave configuration facing inwardly, as illustrated (i.e., the outer surface 112a is convex and the inner surface 112b is concave).
  • the outer and inner covers 110, 120 are configured to be removably secured to each other such that the concave inner surfaces 112b, 122b face each other and form the annular interior volume 102v (Fig. 5A).
  • the respective annular edges 114a, 114b, 124a, 124b of the outer and inner covers 110, 120 are configured to form a seal to prevent the ingress of moisture and debris into the annular interior volume 102v.
  • the outer cover 110 may include a portion (not shown) configured to matingly engage with a portion (not shown) of the inner cover 120 to prevent rotation of the outer cover 110 relative to the inner cover 120.
  • Such features are referred to as "clocking" features.
  • the outer and inner covers 110, 120 may be removably secured together so as to facilitate replacement of the outer cover 110, thereby allowing a user to adjust the size and/or shape of the outer cover 110 that best fits the user's ear.
  • the electronics within the housing 102 may be protected by a shield or other structure that prevents damage to the electronics when removing and/or replacing the outer cover 110.
  • the outer and inner covers 110, 120 may be formed from
  • the inner cover 120 may be formed from a rigid or substantially rigid material, and the outer cover 110 is formed from a conformable, resilient material.
  • exemplary such materials may include, but are not limited to, ceramics, glass, composites such as carbon fiber, metals or metal alloys, alone or in combination.
  • the inner cover 120 includes two sets of apertures 123a that allow sound from respective speakers 140 (described below) within the housing 102 to pass therethrough.
  • the outer cover 110 includes multiple windows 116a, 116b, 116c that allow light to pass therethrough, as will be described below.
  • one or more of the windows 116a, 116b, 116c may be transparent portions in the outer cover 110 (and in the outer covering 106 when utilized).
  • one or more of the windows 116a, 116b, 116c may be an opening in the outer cover 110 (and in the outer covering 106 when utilized) with or without transparent material within the opening.
  • the outer cover 110 (and in the outer covering 106 when utilized) also includes an opening 117 through which one or more electrodes 177 may extend for contacting the skin of a wearer of the device 100.
  • the outer covering 106 when utilized, may include regions of conductive and nonconductive silicone, and the conductive regions may serve as electrodes which are in electrical communication with the electrodes 177.
  • a key benefit of such a configuration is that the silicone may at least partially conform to the person's ear and hence better electrically couple to the person's skin, reducing contact resistance and reducing the electrical resistance variation from motion artifacts.
  • Multiple electrode regions across the outer covering 106 may be used to assess ECG (electrocardiogram), EEG (electroencephalogram), EOG (electrooculography), EMG (electromyography), galvanic skin response, and the like.
  • a wearable device 100 does not utilize an outer covering 106 surrounding the housing 102. Instead, the housing 102 is configured to be attached within an ear of a user and the outer cover 110 serves the function of the outer covering 106 described above.
  • flex circuits 130 that can be shaped to conform with the curvature of the annular interior volume 102v of the housing 102.
  • Flex circuits 130 may be flexible plastic substrates, such as polyimide, PEEK or transparent conductive polyester film, for example.
  • the flex circuit(s) 130 supports optical emitters 132 and optical detectors 134, among other
  • the optical emitters 132 are configured to emit light through respective windows 116a, 116c (Figs. 8A-8B) into the ear of a subject wearing the device 100. Light scattered by the ear passes through window 116b into the photo detectors 134 (Figs. 8A-8B).
  • the optical emitters 132 may be one or more light-emitting diodes (LED), laser diodes (LD), compact incandescent bulbs, micro-plasma emitters, IR blackbody sources, organic LEDs (OLEDs), or the like. These optical emitters may generate light at one primary wavelength or they may be multi-wavelength emitters, capable of generating a plurality of distinct optical wavelengths or a broad range of optical wavelengths.
  • the optical detectors 134 may be one or more photodiodes, photodetectors,
  • optical emitters and optical detectors may be translucent or diffuse. Translucent optics may be useful for picking up weak optical signals, and diffuse optics may be useful for ameliorating motion artifacts. Methods of generating diffuse optics (to creating scattering at the surface) are well-known in the art.
  • the optical emitters 132 and optical detectors 134 serve the function of one or more biometric sensors, such as a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, etc.
  • biometric sensors such as a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, etc.
  • Other physiological (biometric) sensors may be included as well, such as sensors for measuring physiological properties such as vital signs (heart rate, ECG, EEG, EMG, respiration rate, blood pressure, Sp0 2 , core body temperature, brain activity, and the like) or other biometrics.
  • a processor 170 may be used to process PPG signals and inertial signals (i.e., as from an inertial sensor) into various biometrics (heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, cardiac status, Sp0 2 , blood pulse volume, blood hydration, and the like) or various activity parameters (such as distance traveled, steps traveled, cadence, pace, speed, activity status/characterization, and the like).
  • Embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the illustrated configuration or location of the optical emitters 132 and the optical detectors 134. Various numbers, configurations and locations of optical emitters
  • Fig. 6E illustrates a configuration of multiple pairs of optical emitters 132 and detectors 134 in adjacent relationship and supported by a flex circuit 130 (illustrated in a flat configuration in the schematic illustration of Fig. 6E) according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • the optical detectors 134 are configured to collect light entering the edge 102e of the housing 102 radially from the ear of the wearer (i.e., through the annular wall 1 12 of the outer cover 1 10).
  • each pair of optical emitters 132 is separated from an adjacent pair of optical detectors 134 by an optical crosstalk barrier 135.
  • These optical crosstalk barriers 135 are configured to prevent light from the optical emitters 132 directly reaching the optical detectors 134 (i.e., crosstalk).
  • the optical crosstalk barriers 135 may be formed from material that is opaque (at least to the optical emission wavelength(s) of the optical emitters 132) and/or that is reflective in nature.
  • the flex circuit 130 may be rolled-up or otherwise bent/shaped to conform to the annular structure of the housing 102.
  • adjacent groups of optical emitters 132 and optical detectors 134 can be isolated from the other groups of optical emitters 132 and optical detectors 134 by optical isolation barriers 137, as illustrated in Fig. 6E.
  • These optical isolation barriers 137 are configured such that light emitted by a respective pair of optical emitters 132 can only be detected by the nearby optical detectors 134 (i.e., the detectors 134 that are within the same optical isolation barriers 137 as the optical emitters 132).
  • These optical isolation barriers 137 may be formed from material that is opaque (at least to the optical emission wavelength(s) of the optical emitters 132) and/or that is reflective in nature.
  • the optical crosstalk barriers 135 and optical isolation barriers 137 may comprise the same structure and be configured to surround the optical emitters 132 and optical detectors 134 respectively and serve as optical cladding for light-guiding purposes.
  • a specular surface along the walls of the cladding may support light-guiding.
  • a roughened surface may support collimation of the light by absorbing off-angle photons.
  • FIG. 6F An alternate configuration for optical emitters and detectors is presented in Fig. 6F.
  • the optical emitters 132 and optical detectors 134 are radially distributed across the ring-shaped housing 102, as shown in Fig. 6E, but a major difference is that the array of emitters 132 and the array of detectors 134 are separated from each other by an optical isolation barrier 137, such that the array of optical emitters 132 and the array of optical detectors 134 are largely optically isolated from each other.
  • the array of emitters 132 and the array of detectors 134 may each be covered by a layer of optically transparent material (such as silicone, epoxy, polycarbonate, or the like) separated by the optical isolation barrier 137.
  • This optically transparent material may help protect the emitting/detecting structures while still enabling light transmission.
  • a key benefit of the configuration of Fig. 6F may be that the emitter side and detector side of the optical isolation barrier 137 can each serve as a distributed radial light guide, which can help distribute light more evenly across each side of the loop or ring-shaped housing 102 and, hence, better couple light between the body of the wearer of the device 100 and the optical emitters 132 and optical detectors 134.
  • the overall intensity of distributed light beams (such as radial beams) can be less sensitive to motion artifacts than isolated light beams (such as point sources or more localized light beams). This can help with creating stabilized light beams with a higher percentage of pulsating blood information and a lower percentage of unwanted motion artifacts.
  • the optical emitters 132 may be edge-emitters (Fig. 6H), such as edge-emitting LEDs or the like, and the optical crosstalk barriers 135 and/or optical isolation barriers 137 may be configured to direct light out of the side or face 102f of the housing 102 through one or more windows (not shown) and via light-guiding material 160, as shown in
  • Fig. 6G The benefit of this configuration is that the concha region of the ear and other parts of the ear may be interrogated by light directly. Also, with at least one detector 134 positioned to measure light through at least one window 116b (Figs. 5A, 5B), the optical emitter path through the side or face 102f of the housing 102 and the optical detector path through the edge 102e of the housing 102 are approximately orthogonal to each other.
  • the optical crosstalk barriers 135 and optical isolation barriers 137 can be formed as part of one or both of the outer and inner covers 110, 120.
  • Fig. 4B illustrates an optical crosstalk barrier 135 extending from the inner surface 112b of the outer cover 110 between windows 116a and 116b
  • light guiding material may be provided within the housing 102.
  • the light guiding material may be used to guide light from one or more optical emitters 132 to one or more windows 116a, 116c in the edge 102e of the housing 102.
  • light guiding material may be used to guide light collected through the window 116b to the optical detectors 134.
  • the light guiding may be configured to direct light from the ear into window 116b at the outer edge 102e of the housing 102 to reach the detector(s) 134.
  • Such light guiding material may facilitate placement of the optical emitters 132 and/or optical detectors 134 within the housing 102 in a non-line of sight manner with the respective windows 116a, 116b, 116c.
  • light guides 118 may protrude from one or more of the respective windows 116a, 116b, 116c, as illustrated in
  • the light guides 118 extending from windows 116a and 116c facilitate directing light from the optical emitters 132 into the skin of the ear of the wearer, and the light guide 118 extending from window 116b facilitates collecting light from the skin of the ear and directing the collected light to the optical detectors
  • the light guides 118 may facilitate collimating the light as well as helping anchor the optics at the same location of the skin.
  • the light guides 118 can have various configurations. Light guides and light guiding material that may be used in accordance with the various embodiments of the present invention are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,788,002, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
  • an optical filter may be integrated within the light guiding material 160.
  • the light guiding material 160 may include a material having an optically filtering dye or a material which inherently filters one or more wavelengths of light.
  • the light guiding material 160 may include, wholly or partially, a dye therewithin.
  • a dye such as an infrared dye designed to block visible wavelengths but pass IR wavelengths may be utilized.
  • polycarbonate or acrylic light guiding material 160 dyed with Filtron® absorptive dye E800 (Gentex Corporation, Carbondale, PA), would facilitate both light-guiding and IR-pass filtering functionality.
  • an integrated physical optical filter comprises absorptive dyes available from Sabic (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) dispersed in polycarbonate and/or acrylic to create an edge or long-pass optical filter.
  • the light guiding material 160 may be partially or wholly comprised of such a material, thereby facilitating the combinational purpose of light guiding and optical filtering.
  • An inherently filtering material includes sapphire, which absorbs some infrared (IR) wavelengths, glass, which absorbs some ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths, and dyed glass (for which dye combinations can be applied to enable optical filtering that is low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, notching, and the like).
  • IR infrared
  • UV ultraviolet
  • various types of filtering material may be utilized, without limitation.
  • an optical filter may be integrated with the optical emitters 132 and/or the optical detectors 134.
  • a bandpass filter such as an interference filter or the like, may be disposed on an optical emitter 132 and/or optical detector 134.
  • an optical filter effect may be integrated within the semiconductor material comprising the optical emitter 132 and/or optical detector 134, such as by depositing alternating optically-transparent layers (such as oxides and/or nitrides), selective ion implantation of certain regions within silicon, or by band-gap engineering within compound semiconductors, such as the AllnGaAs or AllnGaN system of semiconductor engineering.
  • the light-guiding material 160 may include polarizing material.
  • Exemplary polarizing material that can be used in accordance with embodiments of the present invention is available from American Polarizers, Inc., Reading, Pennsylvania, as well as Edmund Optics, Barrington, New Jersey. A key benefit of a cross-polarizing implementation, where the optical emitter polarizer is configured to be
  • orthogonally polarized with respect to the optical detector polarizer may be that unwanted specular reflection is attenuated such that the light beam collected by the optical detector comprises a higher percentage of photons that have passed through a blood flow region of the body.
  • a pair of speakers 140 are secured to the flex circuit 130 and are positioned in opposing relationship with each other, as illustrated. As shown in Fig. 7, each speaker 140 is positioned within the housing 102 so as to align with a respective one of the sets of apertures 123a so that sound from the speakers 140 can pass therethrough.
  • the speakers 140 have an arcuate configuration such that they can conform with the curvature of the annular interior volume 102v of the housing 102.
  • speakers 140 can have various shapes and configurations.
  • a speaker 240 may be positioned within the central opening 102co of the housing 102 and may be supported by one or more support members 170 that extend radially inwardly from the inner housing 120. At least some of the apertures 123a (Fig. 7) may also serve as apertures for a
  • bone conducting speaker/microphones may also be utilized.
  • a power source 150 is supported by the flex circuit 130, as illustrated in Fig. 6A, and supplies power to the various electronic components of the device 100.
  • the power source 150 may be a battery (such as a lithium polymer battery or other portable battery) or other power source sufficiently small to fit within the housing 102 (such as an energy harvesting source).
  • the power source 150 may be charged via a charge port, such as a USB charge port, for example.
  • the battery is a rechargeable battery, and a charging coil 152 is provided to transfer electrical charge to the
  • the charging coil 152 may be supported by the flex circuit 130. In other embodiments, the charging coil 152 may be supported within the housing separate from the flex circuit 130. In other embodiments, the charging coil 152 may be provided external to the housing 102 or as part of the housing 102, i.e., embedded within the material of the outer or inner covers 110, 120. In some embodiments, a plurality of charging coils may be provided, as illustrated in Fig. 6F.
  • charging coils 152 utilized with embodiments of the present invention are made up of cable strands, for example with about eighteen (18) turns of 0.28mm wire. This provides a coil with a conductor bundled diameter of about 1.25 mm that would circle the perimeter of the device as shown in Fig. 6F.
  • Batteries utilized in accordance with embodiments of the present invention can have various sizes.
  • a battery 150 with a volume of about 1700 mm 3 can provide about 80 mA-h
  • a battery with a volume of about 420 mm 3 can provide about 20mA-h.
  • the flex circuit 130 may support various other electronic
  • a processor, a wireless module for communicating with a remote device, a microphone, an auscultatory sensor, an environmental sensor, a motion sensor, a memory storage device, etc. may be supported by one or more flex circuits 130.
  • Non-limiting examples of environmental sensors may include an ambient light sensor, humidity sensor, ambient temperature sensor, or the like.
  • Non-limiting examples of motion sensors include inertial sensors (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc.), mechanical motion sensors, bone conduction sensors, Hall-effect sensors, optical sensors, acoustic sensors, or the like.
  • inertial sensor(s) it may be important to locate inertial sensor(s) away from the mechanical audio components (i.e., the microphone or speaker) of a device 100, or to mechanically decouple the inertial sensor(s) from the mechanical audio components to prevent aliasing of acousto-mechanical energy into the inertial sensor(s).
  • Mechanical coupling can be achieved by locating an inertial sensor near a mechanical audio component and/or to have the inertial sensor and mechanical audio component connected through a rigid support structure.
  • mechanical decoupling can be achieved by the reverse (e.g., locating an inertial sensor away from the mechanical audio component and/or having the inertial sensor and mechanical audio component connected through a flexible or mechanically damping support structure.
  • some or all of the electronic components within the device may be encapsulated within a hydrophobic encapsulant material.
  • a processor 170 may be in communication with the various components within the device 100 and may be configured to control operation thereof.
  • the processor 170 may be configured to control the optical emitters 132 to emit light, and to process signals produced by the optical detectors 134.
  • the processor 170 may be configured to control other sensors, such as an environmental sensor 172 and a motion sensor 174, and to process signals that are produced by these other sensors.
  • the processor 170 may be configured to control wireless communications via a wireless communication module 176.
  • the processor 170 may also filter noise from the sensor signals, actively remove motion noise, actively remove environmental noise, and the like.
  • wearable devices 100 may include one or more magnets 190 that are configured to magnetically secure the devices 100 to another device, such as a mobile phone 300, in order to provide convenient storage and access.
  • magnets 190 may be within the housing 102, a part of one or both of the outer and inner housings 1 10, 120, or located external to the housing 102.

Abstract

L'invention concerne un dispositif portable comprenant un boîtier de forme annulaire comportant une ouverture centrale et délimitant un volume intérieur annulaire. Le boîtier est conçu pour être porté à l'intérieur d'une oreille d'un sujet de sorte que le canal auditif du sujet soit exposé par l'ouverture centrale. Au moins un émetteur optique et au moins un détecteur optique sont supportés à l'intérieur du boîtier. Le boîtier comprend au moins une fenêtre à travers laquelle de la lumière peut être délivrée dudit émetteur optique à l'oreille, et à travers laquelle la lumière provenant de l'oreille peut être délivrée audit détecteur optique.
PCT/US2020/017856 2019-02-13 2020-02-12 Écouteur biométrique de forme annulaire WO2020167903A1 (fr)

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US17/427,459 US11950039B2 (en) 2019-02-13 2020-02-12 Ringed-shaped biometric earpiece

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US62/805,183 2019-02-13

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